Three held for assault of woman, her friend in Kerala

Three men were arrested on Tuesday by police for allegedly assaulting a female college student and her friend at Kottayam central junction here, an incident which has raised concerns regarding safety of women.

The accused men, all in their early twenties, have been booked for the offences under section 354 (molestation) and section 307 (attempt to murder), an officer of Kottayam West police station said.

“They were taken into custody on Monday night itself and after questioning, their arrest was recorded today. They will be produced before a court during the day,” the officer said.

The incident occurred on Monday night when the college student and her male friend stopped to have food at a small eatery after seeing a friend in a nearby hospital.

At the eatery, the accused men allegedly made inappropriate comments against the young woman, which she objected to and things got heated up thereafter, the officer said.

The accused men allegedly assaulted the woman and her friend, who suffered minor injuries, before locals intervened, the officer added.

The police also arrived at the scene soon thereafter and took the accused into custody.